Critical Ecosystems Assessment Model

Critical Ecosystem Assessment Model Review PanelA list of members can be found in the final report included in the Advisory Activity linked to this panel or committee.

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EPA Region 5 requested that the SAB conduct a review of the Critical Ecosystem Assessment Model (CrEAM). The CrEAM is a spatially explicit model developed by EPA Region 5 for predicting the ecological significance of undeveloped land using ecological theory, existing data sets, and geographic information system (GIS) technology. The EPA Region 5 Critical Ecosystems Team developed the CrEAM to assess the ecological significance of land areas across the states of EPA Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin). The Region noted that the model may potentially be used to identify significant ecosystems in order to target protection and restoration efforts in EPA Region 5.